Understanding Pendente Lite Hearings in Montgomery County, Maryland

Thank you for joining me. My name is LaSheena Williams and I am a Maryland family law attorney. My firm helps our clients take control of out-of-control domestic situations. Today, we will be discussing what is the pendente lite hearing and what happens at pendente lite hearings in Montgomery county, Maryland.

What Is A Pendente Lite Hearing?

A pendente lite hearing is a temporary support and access hearing. At a pendente lite hearing, a magistrate judge can address your concerns regarding temporary support, access, use and possession, spousal support, and attorney’s fees.

What Is The Purpose of A Pendente Lite Hearing?

The purpose of a pendente lite hearing is to address issues that may require immediate temporary resolutions. Sometimes, it may take months for you to have a merits hearing depending on what the issues are in your case and if you need immediate assistance regarding setting up an access order or child support a pendente lite hearing can be very beneficial.

What Happens At A Pendente Lite Hearing In Montgomery County, Maryland?

In Montgomery County, the family law magistrate will listen to your concerns and your requests for temporary relief. A family law magistrate is an attorney that’s appointed by the court to address family law matters. They are not the same as a circuit court judge, they do have a significant amount of contact with family law cases and they’re more familiar with family law cases in a way that a circuit court judge may not be. You will have that magistrate address your concerns and make a recommendation to a circuit court judge. If no one requests exceptions or technically appeals the family law magistrate’s recommendations then a circuit court judge will sign off on your pendente lite order and that will be the order guiding you until your merits hearing in this case.

Preparing for a Pendente Lite Hearing in Montgomery County, Maryland

When preparing for a pendente lite hearing, it is important to understand what your temporary issues are and what evidence you need in order to make it more likely that you will have those issues resolved in your favor. If, for example, access is an issue you may want to develop a temporary parenting plan to hold you over until your custody merits. If, however, use of possession is an issue, you want to be able to have a plan regarding how to make payments on a home or a vehicle if the court orders that you are actually awarded use in possession of a vehicle or other personal property or use of possession of the marital home.

Contact An Experienced Maryland Divorce Attorney Today For Your Pendente Lite Hearings In Montgomery County, Maryland

If you have any questions regarding what happens at a Pendente Lite hearing in Montgomery County, Maryland or any other domestic related issues, please feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel for future updates. Please also feel free to give us a call at (301) 778-9950 to speak with an attorney today.